Fall Newsletter from Michelle Lindsay
Michelle Lindsay
I hope everyone has had a nice autumn and is gearing up for Halloween
and Thanksgiving. I have just spent 6 weeks training in Colorado
Springs at the Olympic Training Center and I'm getting ready for the
last 2 World Cups of the season (in Cancun and in New Zealand). I
will be spending my winter in Christchurch, New Zealand so I will not
really have a winter at all!
Anyway I wanted to send out a late Fall Newsletter to let everyone
know how the end of my season turned out and what is coming up ahead.
Please keep in touch and let me know how you're doing... I am going to
be missing a lot of you during the holidays!
You can see the full .pdf version of my newsletter with pictures
online at http://www.michellelindsay.com/news/pdf/fall_06.pdf and the
text-only .html version with links at
http://www.michellelindsay.com/news/html/fall_06.html. A text-only
version is copied at the bottom of this email.
Thanks and Happy Halloween!
Take care,
Michelle
http://www.michellelindsay.com
-----------------------------------Fall 2006 Newsletter
At The Races
Tiszaujvaros BG World Cup ~ Tiszaujvaros, Hungary ~ August 13, 2006
After a great race in Salford and two weeks training in
Kaiserslautern, Germany, I was excited to redeem myself from last
year's race at the Tiszaujvaros World Cup in Hungary. It was
especially fun having my parents come watch, too. I had a clear
advantage this year since I had raced there before. I ended up having
the best swim of my season and headed off on the bike course in a
group of 5. Unfortunately after only 3km into the bike I bumped with
another racer and we both went down. Besides some road rash and
bruises, I wasn't injured but my bicycle was badly damaged and I
unhappily was forced to quit the race. Unfortunate, but it's all part
of the game.
One last race for VT: FISU World University Championships ~ Lausanne,
Switzerland ~ August 25, 2006
I had a lot of fun at this race, even though I came down with a cold
during my travels to Switzerland from Germany. All the university
athletes were put up in a hostel near the Olympic park in Lausanne,
Switzerland and it was really neat to meet other collegiate
triathletes from around the world. I was looking forward to this race
because I had thought it would be the same course as the Under-23
Worlds the next weekend, but the World University Championships was on
the age-group course so it wasn't quite the preview I had hoped for.
I didn't have a great swim, and the bike course was challenging with
the hills and had some terrifying descents made worse by the cold
downpour. I ran fast enough to stay in the top 10 without
over-exerting myself before the Under-23 World Championships the next
weekend. The post-race party was one of the best I've been to and I
was sad it was my last time racing for Virginia Tech.
Under-23 World Championships ~ Lausanne, Switzerland ~ September 3, 2006
After World University Games, I spent all week recovering from my cold
and preparing for my next race in Lausanne while staying at the Hotel
Royal Savoy – a very nice, old-fashioned hotel on the top of one of
the two climbs on the bike course. My goal for the race was to place
in the top 10, but I knew that this year's field was a lot stronger
than last year's. I had a decent swim that put me in a bike group
with potential to catch the next group, but between the two climbs on
the course (one really steep, shorter one and another longer, more
gradual but not less painful one) we didn't have enough time to close
the gap. I ran pretty well, passing several girls even while battling
a bad side stitch for a lap and a half. I placed 13th – not in the
top 10 like I had hoped but still very respectable.
Hamburg BG World Cup ~ Hamburg, Germany ~ September 10, 2006
I returned to Germany after Worlds, training for a week with a few
other American girls at the Sembach Air Force Base in Kaiserslautern.
Since it was just a week after Worlds, Hamburg World Cup was pretty
stacked – the toughest field I had faced yet. With the unusual swim
course – going through water tunnels – and the fast, technical bike
course, many athletes were getting a course preview for next year's
World Champs. I swam relatively well and played it smart on the bike
course to avoid potential crashes. With all the turns it was
difficult to catch the groups ahead but I ran well enough to place in
the top 50, earning points for the 2008 Olympics. I was surprised
that my body held up so well after three consecutive weeks of racing.
Fourth in a Row: ITU Westchester Continental Cup ~ West Chester, New
York ~ September 17, 2006
I returned to the USA after six weeks in Europe just to pack up with
the family and drive to Westchester, New York for my 4th race weekend
in a row. Not the high-profile World Cup I had become accustomed to,
this race was almost a return to my age-group racing days with one lap
each of the swim, bike and run courses. This race did not go well at
all – probably one race in a row too many. It was nice hanging out
with my parents and catching up with old friends.
What's Next?
Fall 2006 at the US Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs, CO
After visiting Virginia Tech for a few days I flew back to Texas to
pack up my stuff then drove up to Colorado Springs, CO to spend six
weeks of altitude training at the Olympic Training Center. It has
been a great experience living at the OTC and I definitely have
benefited from the altitude training. Although winter seems to have
arrived early, I did get plenty of sunshine and great weather. I've
also had the chance to meet several different types of athletes, from
cyclists to wrestlers. I'm glad I had this opportunity.
Upcoming Races and Winter 2006-2007 in New Zealand
The season is almost over! In less than a week I will head to Cancun,
Mexico to compete in the Elite Team World Championships on November 1
and in the Cancun World Cup on November 5. In the team race, a new
event, each athlete on a team of 3 performs a "super sprint triathlon"
of a 250 m swim, 6.6 km bicycle, and 1.6 km run before handing off to
their teammate. It will be a fun way to get acclimated to the heat in
Cancun before the World Cup on Sunday.
From Cancun I am heading straight to New Zealand to race the final
world cup of the season in New Plymouth. After that I will stay in
Christchurch, New Zealand until April for training during the New
Zealand summer. Chasing summer around the world is something I've
dreamed about since my sophomore year in college and I am sure it will
take me to a new level of performance for 2007. Realizing this dream
wouldn't have been financially possible without the help of USA
Triathlon's Emerging Athlete program and without the help of
DaimlerChrysler, my parents and other supportive family members.
Thank you!